The Gazette's Boro editor Philip Tallentire offers five observations from the game:

1. The Championship is one crazy division and Boro won't give up on their promotion dream until the fat lady sings. They were losing 3-1 and down to 10 men with 25 minutes to go and, yet, they took the game to Fulham and deservedly drew level only to concede deep in stoppage time.

Fulham staged a breakaway, charging up field and scoring a fourth goal through Ross McCormack.

What would have been a battling draw turned out to be a heart-breaking defeat.

3. Boro's performance in the first half unfortunately had more in common with the games at Watford and Bournemouth, and nothing in common with the win at Norwich City.

It's not as if Fulham were particularly impressive, but Boro lacked drive and penetration.

4. Grant Leadbitter came within centimetres of scoring one of the cleverest free-kicks seen for many a year in the sixth minute.

Lee Tomlin rolled the ball back to his skipper, who flicked it up before unleashing a dipping volley which the Fulham keeper tipped over the bar at full-stretch.

5. The minute's applause in remembrance of the 1985 Bradford City fire victims was immaculately observed.

Sitting in a wooden, Edwardian stand, it was an thought-provoking moment for those of us old enough to remember the TV pictures of the tragedy, a word that is over-used in sport, but certainly applicable to what happened at Valley Parade.

And it certainly brought into focus just how much ground safety has improved in past 30 years.